Editing Gender-affirming surgery (section)

=== Gender dysphoric children ===
Gender-affirming surgery is generally not performed on children under 18, though in rare cases may be performed on adolescents if health care providers agree there is an unusual benefit to doing so or risk to not performing it.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Rafferty J | title = Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents | journal = Pediatrics | volume = 142 | issue = 4 | pages = e20182162 | date = October 2018 | pmid = 30224363 | doi = 10.1542/peds.2018-2162 | url = https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/142/4/e20182162 | url-status = live | access-date = 23 July 2021 | s2cid = 52288840 | doi-access = free | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190719160901/https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/142/4/e20182162 | archive-date = 19 July 2019 }}</ref> Preferred treatments for children include [[puberty blockers]], which are thought to have some reversible physical changes,<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 October 2018 |title=Gender dysphoria treatment |url=https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/treatment/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102135038/http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Gender-dysphoria/Pages/Treatment.aspx |archive-date=2 November 2013 |access-date=27 August 2021 | location = U.K. | work = National Health Service}}</ref> and sex hormones, which reduce the need for future surgery. Medical protocols typically require long-term mental health counseling to verify persistent and genuine [[gender dysphoria]] before any intervention, and consent of a parent or guardian or court order is legally required in most jurisdictions.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}